Top 10 Greatest Roman Emperors – I, Claudius
#9: Claudius – 10 BC – 54 AD (ruled 41-54)
When you think of a Roman Emperor, you probably think of a powerful, confident, and out-going figure that has been successful on the battlefield and can politically smooth-talk the Roman Senate. With that in mind, would you believe me if I told you an introverted man with a “learning disability” became one of the GOATs? Well, believe it or not, it’s true.
A GOAT Overlooked by Society
Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was born in Lugdunum, modern-day Lyon, France. He was the first Roman emperor born outside of the Italian peninsula, but that didn’t make him any less Roman. He is a descendant of Julius Caesar and part of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty.
Claudius’s family shunned him at an early age due to a “learning disability”. This would prove to be useful, however, because he survived the violent purges of his predecessors, Tiberius (ruled 14-37) and Caligula (ruled 37-41). They didn’t think Claudius was intelligent enough to be a threat to their regimes, so they just left him alone.
What a relief, right? It’s like that feeling when a school bully passes by you and just ignores you.
Claudius, however, was deceptively intelligent. He was a historian of his time, and wrote various scholarly and historical works around Augustus’s and Tiberius’s reigns, the Roman Republic, and other antique history. He dedicated most of his early life to writing, and thus didn’t get a shot at public office until 37 AD, when he became a close advisor to his nephew and predecessor, Caligula. Despite being part of Caligula’s administration, Claudius was still a victim of Caligula’s torment and the butt of his many jokes.
In 41, Caligula was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard (the Secret Service of Rome) for being too mentally insane to rule. Caligula’s family and many who served under his administration were also assassinated. It was a seemingly deliberate attempt to wipe out the Julio-Claudian family.
Claudius, fearing that he was also a target, fled the scene when he smelled foul play. Eventually, the Praetorian Guard found him hiding behind a curtain. Well, shit, I guess this is how it ends for our beloved Claudius?
Plot twist! Instead, the Praetorian Guard hailed him Emperor of Rome!
Give the Quiet Guy a Chance
Why would the Praetorian Guard want Claudius as emperor? They wanted someone they could control. Claudius was the perfect candidate since everyone thought he wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed. He can’t be any worse than Caligula, right?
Claudius’s first military success began with his call to invade Britain in 43. The island of Britannica possessed a lot of wealth for the Romans to get their hands on, and with many rebels in Gaul (modern-day France, Belgium, and Switzerland) taking refuge on the island and causing trouble for the empire, it was a strategic invasion.
Julius Caesar had invaded Britain back in 55 BC after conquering the aforementioned land of Gaul, but it wasn’t until Claudius’s reign that the Romans were able to subdue the island and annex it into the empire.
Claudius also began many public projects across the empire. He built aqueducts, roads, canals, and ports. These public works helped deliver more water to the city of Rome, improved the transportation system within the empire, and helped to alleviate some of the grain shortages that often happened during the winter.
The only downside to Claudius’s reign was his relationship with the Senate. Since it was the Praetorian Guard, not the Senate, who made him emperor, Claudius never gained the Senate’s favor.
Claudius lived through many attempts on his life, and he not only had to execute many Senators and other individuals involved in these plots, but he also reduced the power of the Senate. He gave these powers to freed slaves that he employed in his administration. I’m sure the rich old men in the Senate were none too happy to see some of their jobs get taken by former slaves.
A GOAT With the Ladies
Despite not being the most social Roman Emperor, Claudius’s love life was still very playa. He married four times.
His third wife, Valeria Messalina, was addicted to sex and constantly cheated on Claudius. She once challenged a Roman prostitute to a game of who can have the most sex in one night, and won. So Claudius… the simp Emperor? Smh.
He did have one son with Valeria, named Britannicus. He was the logical successor to the throne, but as we’re about to see, that never materialized.
Claudius’s fourth wife was his niece (Alabama intensifies), Agrippina the Younger. She had a son from another marriage, named Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (aka Nero). Nero would become the next emperor of Rome after Claudius’s death.
Death and Legacy
Much controversy surrounds Claudius’s death. There is certainly reason to believe that Agrippina poisoned him. She wanted Nero to take the throne before Britannicus was old enough to inherit it. Still, others believe Claudius died of natural causes.
Regardless of how he died, Claudius’s reign was greater than anyone could’ve imagined. He finished what his great-great uncle Caesar started by integrating Britain into the empire. He added public works to improve the lives of his citizens. And finally, he stuck a big middle finger to the rich old men in the Senate by employing freed slaves in his administration and giving them a shot at a good life in Rome. I think that definitely earns him some woke points.
As far as Roman Emperors go, Claudius reps us introverts pretty well. In a society that favors extroverts, sometimes we need the quiet people to actually get things done. Give an introvert a chance, and he’ll… conquer Britain, or something. Never overlook an introvert!